The MAXR World · Volume 3
The Other sidee: Max’s Story
A Young Adult Novel by SchalkesOpa (Part: 3)
“The greatest danger isn't out there—it's the enemy you carry within.”
Max is fourteen, and he is broken. Once the golden boy of FC Schalke 04's Elite Football Academy, his future was set in stone—until one catastrophic mental breakdown changed everything. He lost football, but in its place, a new journey began: music. Now, Max’s songs are reaching thousands, even as he himself searches for a handhold in the darkness.
Trapped between the three most important people in his life, Max fights for himself: Lukas, who offers unconditional love; Marie, who retreats from his complicated truth; and Noah, whose magnetic, broken closeness means both salvation and ultimate destruction.
As Max's success grows, his shadows deepen. Old wounds are ripped open, lies become a crushing weight, and his home threatens to collapse under the pressure of the past. When the authorities intervene, Max faces the ultimate question:
What is left when you can no longer trust the darkness in your own soul?
The Other Side: Max's Story is the third book in the MAXR saga—an intense, raw New Adult novel about trauma, self-destruction, and the fragile path to healing. It explores the painful necessity of setting boundaries when all you crave is closeness.
Unflinching. Visceral. Unforgettable.
For readers of mature Young Adult and New Adult Contemporary fiction (Ages 16+), and anyone seeking honest stories that dare to look where others turn away.
Note for Readers:
This first English release contains a small typo in the title (“The Other sidee”).
I chose not to change it.
Why?
Because my art – and the entire MAXR universe – was never built on perfection.
It was built on honesty, on flaws, on real stories that hurt and heal.
This edition is part of that journey.
Max is fourteen, and he is broken. Once the golden boy of FC Schalke 04's Elite Football Academy, his future was set in stone—until one catastrophic mental breakdown changed everything. He lost football, but in its place, a new journey began: music. Now, Max’s songs are reaching thousands, even as he himself searches for a handhold in the darkness.
Trapped between the three most important people in his life, Max fights for himself: Lukas, who offers unconditional love; Marie, who retreats from his complicated truth; and Noah, whose magnetic, broken closeness means both salvation and ultimate destruction.
As Max's success grows, his shadows deepen. Old wounds are ripped open, lies become a crushing weight, and his home threatens to collapse under the pressure of the past. When the authorities intervene, Max faces the ultimate question:
What is left when you can no longer trust the darkness in your own soul?
The Other Side: Max's Story is the third book in the MAXR saga—an intense, raw New Adult novel about trauma, self-destruction, and the fragile path to healing. It explores the painful necessity of setting boundaries when all you crave is closeness.
Unflinching. Visceral. Unforgettable.
For readers of mature Young Adult and New Adult Contemporary fiction (Ages 16+), and anyone seeking honest stories that dare to look where others turn away.
Note for Readers:
This first English release contains a small typo in the title (“The Other sidee”).
I chose not to change it.
Why?
Because my art – and the entire MAXR universe – was never built on perfection.
It was built on honesty, on flaws, on real stories that hurt and heal.
This edition is part of that journey.
- Recommended ages 14+
- Released 2025
Languages:
Editions and prices
Content note
This series also deals with difficult topics. If you are not feeling well: you are not alone, and help is just a phone call away.
Help and advice, free and anonymous:
Nummer gegen Kummer (Germany): 116 111
Telefonseelsorge (Germany): 0800 111 0 111
★★★★★ „Als Homosexueller war dieses Buch das erste was ich aus der Max Serie gelesen habe. Ich war fasziniert von der Coming in Geschichte, die Erkenntnis über seine Bisexualität und auf die folgende Coming Out. Ich war erschüttert das in der heutigen Zeit noch homophobe Mobber gibt... Da für haben wir nicht gekämpft auf dem CSD!“ – UkeManic_Kai
More volumes in the series
Volume 1
Playing for the Dream: Max’s Story
Ein MAXR Roman von SchalkesOpa (Band 1)
Ein MAXR Roman von SchalkesOpa (Band 1)
ages 12+ Learn more →
Volume 2
Playing the Big Game: Max’s Story
Ein MAXR Roman von SchalkesOpa (Band 2)
A Young Adult Novel by SchalkesOpa (Part:1)
ages 12+ Learn more →
Volume 4
The Secret: Max's Story
Ein MAXR Roman von SchalkesOpa (Band 4)
Ein MAXR Roman von SchalkesOpa (Band 4)
ages 14+ Learn more →